Lee Claydon
Hello, and welcome to That SEND Teacher.
I’m Lee, an neurodiversity educator. I’ve worked across Derbyshire and South Yorkshire and have been in education for over 25 years. During that time, I’ve been a class teacher, SENDCo, a peripatetic SEN teacher within the Cognition and Learning service for the local authority, supporting schools, children and families of children with EHCPs and additional SEND funding in mainstream primary and nursery settings. I then moved into an inclusion support advisory role, supporting primary and secondary schools in developing whole school SEND, and now I work as an autism advisory teacher, supporting schools to develop inclusive practice.
One thing has stayed constant throughout that journey: I’ve never stopped being curious.
What helps a young person feel safe enough to learn?
Why do some approaches work brilliantly for one pupil, but not another?
How can we support children and young people in a way that develops independence?
And many others. Questions have shaped my career, and this led me to developing this website.
Why I write
I started this blog because I wanted to create the sort of resource I would have appreciated earlier in my career.
There is no shortage of advice about SEND. What educators often need, though, is some practical, thoughtful and realistic ideas that fit into busy classrooms, acknowledge the complexity of school life, and the individuality of every child and young person.
Most of my articles are written with this in mind. If a strategy appears here, it’s because I’ve seen it make a difference, reflected on it carefully, or explored the evidence behind it.
What you’ll find here
You’ll find articles about neurodiversity, inclusion, regulation, communication, engagement, sensory differences, restorative and solution-focused based practice, classroom support and much more. I enjoy exploring wider ideas from psychology and education when they help us understand children and young people more deeply.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, and you’ll sometimes notice my thinking change. That’s intentional. Good practice evolves, and I hope this site reflects a willingness to keep learning.
What I believe
A few principles run through almost everything I write:
Relationships are key.
Behaviour is communication.
Engagement matters more than compliance.
Regulation is something built together.
Inclusion is more about belonging than achievement.
Every teacher is an agent for change.
My views are my own, but I am firmly committed to inclusive practice and creating enabling environments where all children and young people can access learning, participate fully, and feel that they belong.
Beyond the classroom
When I’m not in schools or writing, you’ll usually find me playing videogames (Skyrim usually, I just can’t let it go), reading comics (DC – Wonder Woman and Titans), dreaming of holidays to Las Vegas or the Mediterranean, or enjoying a cup of tea while thinking about my next blog post.
Thank you for visiting.
Whether you’re a teacher, school leader, teaching assistant, parent, or simply someone interested in inclusive education, I hope you find something here that makes tomorrow just a little easier, that inspires you to keep trying, to be curious or to simply feel validated.